Recruiting Needs for the Arkansas Razorbacks 2016 Class
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
The Arkansas Razorbacks completed a 7-5, 5-3, regular season with a chance to add another win in the Liberty Bowl against Kansas State. The Hogs are currently on par with their 2014 season, 7-6, 2-6, as far as overall wins and losses but made some gains and suffered some set-backs along the way in 2015.
The ugly was the 1-3 start that included a three-game losing streak to Toledo (16-12), Texas Tech (35-24), and an overtime loss to Texas A&M (28-21) for the second year in a row. Bad calls by the refs, in a somewhat biased opinion, against the Hogs derailed the Toledo and Texas Tech games.
The good portions of the season included head coach Bret Bielema’s first SEC road win coming against Tennessee (24-20) which was added to in other marquee wins against then- No. 18 Ole Miss (53-52) and No. 9 LSU (31-14).
Once again, the Razorbacks were in every game they played this season but need to restock the roster with incoming high school talent to get over the proverbial hump in order to contend for a SEC West division title in the near future. The Hogs slipped a little in the running game going from the nation’s No. 24 team averaging 218 yards per game to No. 39 gaining 193. This is to be slightly expected with the preseason injury to 1,100 rusher Jonathan Williams and the mid-season loss of true freshman Rawleigh Williams.
The loss in the rushing department was more than made up in the passing game with first-year offensive coordinator Dan Enos working his magic with senior quarterback Brandon Allen. Allen led the SEC in QB Rating with a 165.2 mark completing 65 percent of his passes connecting on 224 of 344 attempts for 3,125 yards with 29 touchdowns against seven interceptions. A big improvement over his junior campaign posting a respectable 2,285 passing yards with 20 touchdowns against five picks.
Chances are Arkansas’ leading rusher, Alex Collins and his 1,392 yards and 17 touchdowns, will be gone after the Liberty Bowl as an early NFL entry. The Hogs will lose senior offensive linemen Mitch Smoothers at center and second team All-American offensive guard Sebastian Tretola. Rumors are starting left tackle Denver Kirkland and starting right tackle Dan Skipper will be back for their senior years but one never knows.
Arkansas could also lose first team All-American and John Mackey Award winning tight end Hunter Henry as an early NFL Draft entry. Henry was second on the Hogs team in receptions (46) and receiving yards (647) scoring three touchdowns this season. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is Jan. 18.
On defense, Arkansas should have pretty much everyone back except for senior safety Rohan Gaines and lineman DeMarcus Hodge. The Hogs were about as good as it got in 2015 against the run finishing ranked No. 16 in the nation only allowing an average of 120 yards per game. The scoring defense improved from the previous year, 32 points per to 28, but the pass defense was statistically one of the worst in the nation finishing No. 120 out of 127 teams giving up 285 yards per game. Early in the season Arkansas had trouble putting pressure on the opposing quarterback and the secondary had troubles covering the quick routes. In fairness the Hogs did play some of the best passing teams in the nation, No. 2 Texas Tech, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 40 Texas A&M, and No. 41 Toledo; all losses sans Ole Miss.
The Razorbacks currently have 16 verbal commitments to their 2016 recruiting class after signing 23 in the 2015 haul. Three 2015 signees made big impacts throughout the season, freshman linebacker Dre Greenlaw, junior college wide receiver transfer Dominque Reed, and Williams at running back. Chances are at least one new recruit if not as many as four or five will need to be key contributors for the Hogs next season.
The Razorbacks still have a few holes to fill before National Signing Day. The following is breaking down the team needs against the players coming back, in the previous class, and those already verbally committed.
Top Need – Running Backs
Jonathan Williams is not expected to apply for a medical redshirt year to regain his senior year missed due to injury. Alex Collins is expected to enter the NFL Draft and Rawleigh Williams suffered a horrific neck injury leaving his status going forward as an unknown. That leaves Juan Day, Denzell Evans, and Kody Walker as the top returning tailbacks.
Arkansas has options with 2016 commitment T.J. Hammonds, an all-purpose kind of back who might be most effective in the slot or as a change of pace option. Arkansas needs gamers at linebacker but another possible option is Dejon Harris, another 2016 commit at linebacker.
The Hogs are playing the waiting game with Devin White, North Webster High School (Springhill, LA), Devwah Whaley, Beaumont Central High School (Beaumont, TX), and Kyle Porter, Katy High School (Katy, TX). Efforts are being made to flip Ole Miss commit D’Vaughn Pennamon and Texas A&M commit Rakeem Boyd. Of the two possible flips, Boyd seems a little more likely. Whaley said Arkansas was his top school after visiting only to find out he was a silent commit to Georgia. Whaley decommitted after Mark Richt left so Arkansas???
White is an all-around stud athlete who would make an instant impact. He is also an early enrollee wherever he may go slightly upping his importance as an early impact player. LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas are pushing hard for his signed letter of intent. On paper, Arkansas seems like the best fit for early playing time over LSU and Alabama, but…
Top Need – Cornerbacks
As laid out previously, Arkansas needs a shutdown cover corner badly. The Hogs just lost out on a promising JUCO All-American commit, Jamarcus King, who signed with South Carolina. Eric Cuffee, Waco High School (Waco, TX), and Kristian Fulton, Archbishop Rummel (Metairie, LA), are high on the Hogs want list. Both are 4-star recruits with a long list of college admirers. Another possible play is Trayvon Mullen from Coconut Creek High School (Pompano Beach, FL).
Arkansas does not have a cornerback committed to the 2016 class thus far. Ideally, two immediate contributors are needed.
Medium Need – Middle Linebacker
Arkansas adjusted their system to a nickel set early in the season after having troubles in the middle. Dre Greenlaw and Brooks Ellis manned the linebacker corps but a true middle linebacker is needed. Dejon Harris has the bulk and play-making ability to be a strong-side linebacker with the speed to cover tight ends and running backs in space. Jordan Carmouche, another 2016 Arkansas commit, also has the size to be anywhere in the middle three but only time will tell if he can hold up the middle.
Arkansas has not signed that prototypical 6’3”, 240 pound, middle linebacker who can do it all since Bret Bielema has been in Fayetteville. Chances are they will miss out in this class unless a JUCO recruit falls into their lap or an under the radar gem is unearthed turning into that missing link needed on defense.
Medium Need – Offensive Line
Arkansas may be sitting pretty next year along the offensive line or they may have to call upon some underclassmen to fill some big gaping holes. Either way, two holes will need to be filled at guard and center. Arkansas has done a good job of recruiting offensive lineman and should be fine next year regardless but depth would become an issue if Kirkland and Skipper both leave.
Jake Heinrich is a ground and pound commit who will fit in well on the inside of Arkansas’ line after a year or so of seasoning. Terrance Malone, a JUCO signee, might give Arkansas some immediate depth along the line and can challenge for a starting position at guard.
Arkansas missed out on JUCO All-American Dwayne Wallace due to high SEC transcript rules. Snow College tackle Garett Bolles is still in play, if former Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman does not steal him away to Georgia. The Hogs have some offers out to other talented linemen but where the progress is at with each one is iffy. A lot of the recruits extended offers along the line have committed elsewhere.
Medium Need – Return Specialist
Arkansas just went through the Golden Age on special teams with guys like Joe Adams and Dennis Johnson returning punts and kicks. The loss of Korliss Marshall set-back the kick return game. Eric Hawkins and Dominque Reed did a fair job averaging 22 and 23 yards per return respectively. Jojo Robinson was supposed to be the answer but he could never stay out of the coaching doghouse.
DJ Dean and Jared Cornelius were effective with punt returns but more importantly smart not putting the Hogs in bad situations. A speed burner without care of taking a big hit from time to time would be nice.
Low Need – Pass Rushing Defensive Ends
The secondary needs help putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks from the snap of the ball. Arkansas has a lot of talent at defensive end on the roster but the guys looked like they may have bulked up too much in the offseason losing some of that explosiveness needed off the edge. As the season went on, the ends starting to make some noise making this a lower area of need.
McTelvin Agim is as good of a defensive end as there is in the 2016 recruiting class. Kier Thomas, from Miami Central High School (Miami, FL), looks like a possible addition to the class on the weak-side.
Along the defensive front, Arkansas could sneak in to snag defensive tackles D’Andre Christmas-Giles, from St. Augustine (New Orleans, LA) and/or Michael Williams, a Stanford commit from All Saints Episcopal (Fort Worth, TX). Christmas-Giles just de-committed from Tennessee and Williams has had his admission transcript accepted to Arkansas. Arkansas maybe more of a fallback position for Williams but crazier things have happened.
Locked and Ready
Arkansas is set at quarterback for the foreseeable future with 2015 additions Ty Storey and Ricky Towns along with 2016 verbal commitment Cole Kelley. The Hogs are also set at tight end after bringing three top commits to Fayetteville in last year’s class; Austin Cantrell, Will Gragg, and C.J. O’Grady and have Grayson Gunter in this year’s group.
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The 2015 class and 2016 class has a lot of size and speed at receiver. If a best available is around as NSD nears, another one could be added as a luxury if other need positions are not being filled.
Another big need that is already filled is at fullback with Hayden Johnson. Arkansas has not had a true fullback since Kiero Small left for the NFL.
The Hogs need help on special teams but the talent should be there on campus already, just more attention needed in making that talent shine. Blake Johnson was one of the more highly regarded field goal kickers in the nation in the 2015 class. Cole Hedlund handled all of the field goal kicking duties going 8 for 13 missing a 22-yarder against Tennessee and a 29-yarder against Mississippi State, which was blocked as time expired. Hedlund had three kicks blocked in 2015, not good.
Arkansas Razorbacks 2016 Verbal Commitment List
SS Deon Edwards, 6’0”, 195 lbs, Lake Minneola HS, Minneola, FL
SS Alexy Jean-Baptiste, 6’3”, 205 lbs, Coconut Creek HS, Coconut Creek, FL
DE McTelvin Agim, 6’3”, 269 lbs, Hope HS, Hope, AR
DT Austin Capps, 6’4”, 306 lbs, Star City HS, Star City, AR
DT Briston Guidry, 6’3”, 275 lbs, Rummel HS, Metairie, LA
LB Jordan Carmouche, 6’1”, 230 lbs, Manvel HS, Manvel, TX
LB Dejon Harris, 5’11”, 235 lbs, John Ehret HS, Marrero, LA
OG Terrance Malone, Northwest Mississippi C.C., Senatobia, MS
OT Jake Heinrich, 6’5, 290 lbs, Urbandale HS, Urbandale, IA
QB Cole Kelley, 6’7”, 235 lbs, Teurlings Catholic HS, Lafayette, LA
RB T.J. Hammonds, 5’11”, 196 lbs, Robinson HS, Little Rock, AR
FB Hayden Johnson, 6’3”, 252 lbs, Rock Bridge HS, Columbia, MO
TE Grayson Gunter, 6’6”, 230 lbs, Madison Central HS, Madison, MS
WR Kofi Boateng, 6’1”, 175 lbs, Arlington Lamar HS, Arlington, TX
WR Jordan Jones, 6’2”, 175 lbs, Smackover HS, Smackover, AR
WR Kiel Pollard, 6’1”, 228 lbs, Colquitt County, Moultrie, AR
Photo credit: shreveporttimes.com; Devin White in action.